


Tina bakes for Newt

by sailorkittycat



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Baking, Cute!Newt, Dessert, F/M, Fluff, Romance, cakes, no-maj baking, sweet tooth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 15:09:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8849746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailorkittycat/pseuds/sailorkittycat
Summary: Tina takes it upon herself to make a cake for Newt after finding out that he has a sweet tooth





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back again with cute!Newt who this time has a sweet tooth. I couldn't really come up with a title, but I hope that the summary makes up for it. Tina basically wants to make something British and sweet for Newt while he stays in New York. I thought it felt like something Tina would do for Newt seeing as she's a giver; hopefully you like it!

She had accidentally stumbled upon Newt’s sweet tooth one evening when they were out to dinner. He had insisted that they go out, firstly because he was in town and secondly, because she had just caught someone smuggling dragon eggs over the border. It was a small victory, especially considering that the dragon eggs were petrified but Newt maintained that it was a triumph none the less. Dinner had been delicious, and when Newt had suggested dessert she had agreed _why not?_ She left it up to him to decide for the two of them, mainly because she wasn’t much of a dessert person (it was really more her sister’s thing) but also because it was somewhat amusing watching Newt’s eyes scan the dessert menu with such severity. He might as well have been reading a legal document.

The rich chocolate cake arrived in two rectangular slices, and Tina had to admit that it did look good. The ganache reflected the candle light and the shadow of her spoon sinking into the cake, which found the dessert wonderfully soft and gooey. Tina looked up to see Newt sucking away at the chocolate on the spoon, savouring every last drop of it. He made a soft ‘mmm’ sound and Tina smiled, almost laughing softly at his childlike reaction.

“I didn’t know you had a sweet tooth” she mentioned, taking another bite of the decadent dessert.

Newt laughed “I adore sweet things” he said, locking eyes with her as he ate the next spoonful. Tina felt the rush of blood flood her cheeks, and hoped that the dim lighting would mask the deep pink-red of her blush.

“Do they have a lot of that sort of thing back in Britain?”

“Oh yes, pudding was always my favourite part of the meal” Newt said cheerfully. Tina meditated on what he had said; surely he must miss home and its comforts. She thought about what it would be like if their positions were reversed and she had been in Britain instead. She’d miss Queenie more than anything, not to mention the strudel she made. Did they even have strudel in England? It wouldn’t bother her too much if they didn’t, but then Newt was different. He liked sweet things.

She made her resolution quietly to herself there and then. She was going to try and make something sweet and British for Newt, something to make his stay here easier. He was going to be away from home for a long time while he lectured at various institutes about his book, and the least she could do to make him feel more comfortable would be to make something for him. Something he’d like and appreciate. She’d have to enlist Queenie for help and maybe Jacob too, especially seeing as she wanted to make something the no-maj way for Newt. Making the dessert with her hands would be more intimate; more personal. It would be something that she could feel real pleasure in making and presenting. The question now however was what should she make?

Tina entered Jacob’s shop early the next morning, pretending to look at the magical creature inspired sweets as if they meant nothing to her. Jacob was deep in conversation with Queenie who immediately offered to come along as soon as she read Tina’s thoughts.

_“Aw, I think it’s real sweet of you Tee!”_

_“Stop Queenie, you’ll make me blush.”_

Tina peered at glass case full of cakes and pies. Was apple pie British? Was carrot cake British? Was madeira cake British? It suddenly struck her that she didn’t know the first thing about British desserts and that this would be a lot harder than she thought. _Maybe I should just give up with this dumb idea…_

“Hey Jacob?” Queenie asked, a fraction louder as to catch Tina’s attention too “Tina needs your help today.” Tina whipped her head up at the sound of her name, eyes widening as Jacob looked at her.

“Of course, what can I do for you?”

“Well um…” Tina looked down, absentmindedly looking down at her sensible brown shoes “I wanted to, uh…”

“Tina wants to bake something for her sweetheart” Queenie interrupted, beaming with pride while Tina looked horrified “he’s British y’know, so she wants to make something that’ll remind him of home, isn’t that nice?”

Jacob’s dreamy smile matched Queenie’s “baking is one of the most intimate things you can do for another person. It’s a sweet treat that brings genuine joy to people’s lives…” Jacob tended to get carried away with his speeches about the power of baked goods, and Tina felt as though her face was going to remain the same hue of red as the glace cherries on top of Jacob’s tarts on the counter.

“… Honestly, this kind of gesture is the one I’ve always wanted to inspire” Jacob said, his eyes practically wet with tears and pride “I’d be delighted to help you Tina.”

“Thank you Jacob” Tina said stiffly, feeling more uncomfortable than she thought she would “I’m no baker though, it would have to be something simple.”

“And British” Queenie added.

“Well there’s Victoria sponge, it’s very simple but my grandmother has perhaps, and I might be biased here ladies, the best recipe for Victoria sponge cake.” Jacob said, rummaging through the book of recipes his grandmother had left for him. Tina stepped closer to look at the page which like Jacob had a thin layer of flour on it. It seemed okay. Two sponge cakes sandwiched together with jam and cream. What could go wrong?

As it turned out, a lot. It had started off fine with Tina cracking some eggs into a bowl the way she had seen other no-majs do. Some of the shell had gotten in the bowl but Jacob had assured her that it was absolutely fine, and then she watched as he fished it out. Queenie had weighed out the sugar and flour for Tina, and Tina added it, coughing a little as the flour landed ungracefully into the bowl.

“Try being gentler” Jacob added “after all you’re baking your love into it as well”

“Gee, that’s so romantic” Queenie said, squeezing her sister’s shoulder. Tina just looked bashful.

Tina thought the mixing would be the easiest part of the whole thing, but it turned out to be a lot harder. The mixture required real elbow grease, the kind that Tina wasn’t used to. It would have been much easier to do the mixing with magic but Tina gritted her teeth, determined to do it all by hand. The mixture got dangerously close to coming out of the bowl on several occasions, and Jacob had to intervene more than once to stop Tina from over mixing it. Apparently there was such a thing as over mixing, Tina knew because she had done it.

“I knew this was hopeless” she said, looking with dismay at the cake batter. Queenie and Jacob carolled ‘no’ in a sympathetic voice which only made Tina feel worst. She was an aura! How could she be defeated by a stupid cake recipe?

“It’s not so bad Tina, honest” Jacob said.

“See Jacob doesn’t think it’s so bad, he _really_ doesn’t” Queenie added, trying to reassure her sister.

“All you’ve gotta do is pour the batter into these two pans and then it’ll bake, you’re basically done already” Jacob said.

“Alright” said Tina “that doesn’t sound so bad.”

She stood up, holding the bowl up as she poured the cream coloured mixture into the pans. It was going okay until her hand slipped and the bowl fell, but Queenie’s wand was out and the spell said before the crockery could break. Tina grabbed the bowl quickly, her eyes widening as she looked at her sister who wore a twin expression.

Jacob was the one to break the silence “Jeez, I really thought it was gonna break. I could have sworn it stopped mid air and-“

“Come sit down honey” Quennie interrupted, beckoning her darling to sit down “it’s awful hot in here, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were seeing things.”

“I’ll get the window” Tina said, swallowing quickly as she urged her body to move towards the window. A cool breeze flowed through the room.

“That’s better, isn’t it?” Queenie asked, exchanging a quick glance with her sister as they argued silently.

_We have to obliviate him again!_

Queenie frowned, mouthing a firm ‘no’ at her sister.

_He just saw magic, what’re we supposed to do?_

Queenie shook her head.

_So we’re just gonna pretend like the heat got to him?_

Queenie nodded. Tina sighed. Jacob idly wondered if he was coming down with something.

The batter was poured evenly (by Jacob this time) and the cakes were forming in the oven, while the three of them enjoyed a cup of coffee and some spare slices of pie that Jacob had. The pie was sweet and the pastry crumbly, but it didn’t distract Tina from the cakes baking only metres away from her.

“Relax Tina, they’ll be okay.” Queenie whispered, holding her sister’s clammy hand with the tenderness that only she could produce. It was only ten more minutes until Jacob got up to take the cakes out, and Tina sprung up to join him.

“Are they okay?”

“They look good Tina, golden brown on top” Jacob lightly tapped the top of the cake with his fingertips “feels firm enough, so they’re cooked inside too. Grandma never fails.” He said, smiling at Tina who smiled back.

Once cooled, Queenie fetched the jam, powdered sugar, and ingredients for the cream with such expertise, Tina almost felt ashamed at her own lack of cookery skill.

“Aw, don’t feel like that” Queenie murmured, nudging Tina “you’re the career girl, that’s a million times more helpful.”

“It’s a different kind of helpful” Tina whispered back.

Cooking had never appealed to Tina. She never found the combining of ingredients interesting to her, at least not in the way it was to her sister. Tina was more the kind of person to eat whatever, as long as it was hot and tasted good enough. Working hard at her job meant that she put her efforts there instead. As soon as she came home her brain switched off and she relied on Queenie to make sure she ate well before turning in. She was usually out in five minutes after that. Then again, as Tina spread the jam over the cake, she couldn’t help but feel a lot more relaxed (mostly because the actual cakes were done). Cooking wasn’t so bad, Tina decided, it could actually be kinda nice. She doubted she would make a regular habit out of it but she felt pleased with her work. Sure, it looked a little rough where she had sliced it wonky, but the actual cake looked good. Maybe she had been too generous with the jam but Newt wouldn’t mind, he liked sweet stuff. The cream was maybe a fraction too sweet too, but Queenie had liked it and so what? It was a cake, it was meant to be sweet. The dusting of powdered sugar could have gone better, seeing as most of the sugar had ended up on her but _some_ of it was on the cake.

“I think he’s gonna like it Tee” Queenie chirped “you know what they say right? The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

Tina reminded herself of this saying as she stood outside Newt’s place. He had rented an apartment for the duration of his stay in New York, and this would officially be the first time Tina had been there. She bit the inside of her cheeks as she knocked firmly on the door.

“Coming!” Newt shouted, followed by two loud crashes and a growl.

“It’s going to be fine” she told herself “it’ll be a-okay, it’ll be good, it could even be great. No wait, that’s going too far, it’ll just be fine.” She felt the bile churn in her stomach, and she shifted her weight from one foot to the other nervously as she waited for Newt.

“Oh Tina, hello” he grinned, happy to see her. His hair was a mess, when wasn’t it? The nutmeg curls were standing up and down in different directions, and Tina smiled when she saw it. It was typical Newt. She resisted the urge to run her fingers through it, fixing it for him.

“Hi Newt” she tried to school her expression into one that was less like a inattentive schoolgirl, and more like a confident woman who was about to present a cake to her kind of... She wasn’t sure what to call Newt. Boyfriend seemed too familiar, but friend seemed too distant. She idly wondered if there was some kind of in-between term, only to completely ignore what Newt was saying.

“Huh, sorry Newt can you repeat that?”

“I asked if you’d like to come in?”

“Oh, yes” Tina said quickly following him in “sorry.”

“No, no, it’s I who should be apologising. The mess is awful I know.”

“It’s…” She looked at the stacks of books that towered to at least her waist, and the crumpled papers that adorned the floors “it’s very you Newt, I’ve never known you to be neat.” Newt laughed, and started talking about some upcoming conference he had to attend and how much he didn’t want to go because he had always disliked speaking to people he didn’t really know.

“I um, I got you something.” Tina said, trying to sound confident though the plate felt slippery under her hot touch.

“For me?” Newt looked touched “Oh Tina, you shouldn’t have.” He said it with such softness that Tina was almost blinded with how cute Newt could be. So soft and sweet.

“I wanted to make you something – a cake – to make you feel more at home.”

“That’s the best present anyone could ever get me” Newt said, his cheeks were beginning to turn pink and he immediately turned to his dining table to sweep off the papers that littered it. Tina laughed, half out of nerves and half out of amusement.

Newt’s nimble fingers made quick work of the poorly tied ribbon, and Tina held her breath as he lifted the lid of the box to reveal the not-so-great Victoria sponge cake that sat in it. The two of them were quiet for a moment, and Tina watched anxiously as Newt’s eyes traced over the cake.

“I know it’s not so good, in fact it could’ve been a whole lot better, but I made it all by hand. Y’know, the no-maj way, I thought it would be nicer. I know it doesn’t look nicer. It’s meant to be a British cake though; something to remind you of home so you don’t feel so sore about being away. I had to have Queenie and Jacob help me out, and I’m actually very impressed by what Jacob does now. I mean I was before, but boy the no-maj method for baking was a lot more difficult than I thought. Anyways, I hope you like it even though it’s not perfect. I hope you can still tell that it’s a-“

“Victoria sponge” Newt said, interjecting into Tina’s warbled speech “it’s one of my favourites.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Newt’s tongue darted out to wet his lips, an action that mesmerised Tina who gasped softly when Newt’s hand cupped her cheek. “Thank you so much Tina” Newt said sincerely, pressing a soft kiss onto her flaming cheek. He drew back a little, his nose practically touching hers, and the only coherent thing Tina could concentrate on was her new found love for cake.


End file.
